Dan Aykroyd celebrated his 73rd birthday this week, and the timing couldn't be better for a man enjoying one of the strangest career resurgences in recent Hollywood memory.
The actor and comedian, best known for his eight seasons on "Saturday Night Live" and his role as Ray Stantz in "Ghostbusters," has been having a moment online.
TikTok users have been pulling clips from his 1970s sketch work, and several have crossed the million-view mark.
A compilation of his "Bass-O-Matic" commercial parody from 1976 went viral again last month.
Nostalgia, mostly, but also a growing appreciation for Aykroyd's specific comedic style.
He was never the flashiest performer in the original SNL cast, but his ability to play completely straight-faced characters in absurd situations has aged well.
His portrayal of Richard Nixon in the famous "Ask President Carter" sketch, and his deadpan delivery as one half of the Blues Brothers, still hold up.
Fans have also rediscovered his film work beyond "Ghostbusters." "Trading Places," "The Blues Brothers," and "Dragnet" have all seen renewed streaming activity.
On Reddit, a thread titled "Aykroyd was the secret weapon of 80s comedy" picked up over 40,000 upvotes this week.
Aykroyd has been candid in recent interviews about the toll that losing his "Ghostbusters" co-stars John Belushi, Harold Ramis, and now Ivan Reitman has taken on him personally.
In a 2023 podcast appearance, he described himself as "the last man standing" from the original Ghostbusters brain trust.
Aykroyd still tours with the Blues Brothers act occasionally, does voice work, and has been attached to a documentary project about the early days of "Saturday Night Live." He's also active on social media, though his posts have a charmingly chaotic energy that fans find endearing.
A recent tweet about crystal skulls and paranormal research got thousands of replies from people either confused or delighted.
The streaming era has been kind to legacy comedians, but Aykroyd's case is unusual.
He's not being rediscovered because of a new hit show or a viral scandal.
Instead, viewers are finding him organically, through clips, algorithms, and word of mouth.
That's a rare trajectory for a performer whose peak was nearly five decades ago.
For younger audiences who only know him as the guy from the "Ghostbusters" movies their parents made them watch, the SNL archives are a revelation.
And for older fans, watching him do the "Coneheads" sketches again is a reminder of how much of modern comedy owes a debt to that original cast. **Our take:** Aykroyd's late-career resurgence is a refreshing reminder that talent and timing don't always have to overlap.
Final Thoughts
Sometimes the work just waits for the right audience to find it, and in 2025, that audience is scrolling TikTok at 2 a.m.